Theory

If there is one recommendation in research that I try to live by and encourage others to do so also is “be prepared”. The Boy Scouts of America certainly picked an appropriate motto. Although I have not necessarily recorded anything significant I have tried to learn by my mistakes, have the correct gear and hopefully keep myself alert for opportunities to record when they are presented.

In doing wildlife research I feel that the two most important pieces of equipment are some type of camera or camcorder and a audio recorder. There are many new digital camcorders on the market and prices continue to drop. For doing a remote video setup I happen to like the Sony analog because it has 4 hours on long play and the aperture can be opened up to allow in more light. For audio recorder recommendations please see my soundrecording page.

I have had some successes and many failures in my quest to be ready. In March of 2005 I happened to be fortunate enough to get a digital still picture of a bobcat.

I was walking along a pond when Belle, my Karelian Bear Dog, assumed a point position. I saw some motion in the grass at about 300 yards distance. I immediately started clicking pictures. I did not know at the time what it was, I thought perhaps coyote until I downloaded the pictures on my computer. Even in the corn stubble the bobcat was still very well camouflaged.

On the 29th of August 2006 I had a cougar cross the road in front of my pickup at 7 a.m. in broad daylight. Was I prepared, no. If I had my camcorder running, sitting on the dash I would have perhaps recorded an excellent sequence. I had stopped the vehicle to allow my dog to greet the farmers dog that always comes out to say hello. When I looked back up the road the big cat was crossing the road only 50 feet in front of me. Since then I keep my camcorder running on the dash when I get within a mile of my research area.

I try to do 10 hr remote audio recording every night. My audio recordings can be found at:

my unknown sounds and bird and animal sounds.

Doing remote video setup I have taken video’s of deer, possum, coyote, bobcat, fox, squirrel, rabbit. Of course using night vision the pictures are never as good as daytime. Some of these can be found at:

bird and animal videos.

I think the future is bright for researchers getting new recordings. Prices have plummeted for both audio and video equipment. Almost everyone can now afford to have at least some type of recording gear. And whatever you do, always keep your recorders running while in the field.

Habituation is an interesting controversial subject in Sasquatch research. Over the years there have been several cases of people making claims of long term interactions with families of bigfoot. I have been fortunate enough to personally investigate two of these situations.

I have a Native American friend, John, who lives along the Illinois River in North-Central Illinois. For the last twenty years he has routinely spent time in the woods near his home. I can not prove his claims nor do I have any evidence as to what I have witnessed while I was with him. My friend is a soft spoken man, suspicious of outsiders and what their intentions are when it comes to the large animals that live in his woods. He was concerned about both the welfare of the animals plus how I would handle myself if the animals came in real close. After several meetings with John he eventually agreed to allow me to tag-along with him on one of his outings.

We arrived on location about forty-five minutes before sundown to take up our positions. As we stepped into the woods I heard a howl coming from around the hill, and then it was repeated again. I was amazed. John said “They know me”. Slowly we worked our way through the brush and upwards the base of a low lying hill. As the sun was going down we sat on the ground and awaited our “guests” or should I say that perhaps we were the “guests”. John explained that he had this “special technique” to draw the animals in. He would bang together two wooden sticks and set up a rhythm while singing a traditional chant. Many times the animals would come in very close to investigate, sometimes within ten feet. John said to keep our heads down and not to make eye contact. As with the great apes, eye contact would be considered a threat and the animals would leave.

During the twilight John sang his chant and we anxiously waited to see if we would be visited. On top of the hill 125 yards away I heard a wood knock. John said “they are coming”. I could hear movement behind me and to my left. For the next fifteen minutes we could detect brush being moved out of the way as something was approaching. I expectantly waited for whatever was hidden to show itself. The movement stopped about fifteen feet away in the nearest brush. We sat there for thirty minutes listening to the night sounds. Our “friends” did not come out in the open that night. Perhaps they were just being cautious about this stranger carrying a camcorder and recorder. We slowly made our way back to the van in the dark. Although somewhat disappointed I was still excited to have been let in to one man’s world, a world that the general public does not acknowledge or understand.

Bigfoot Contactees: 50 Years Of Coquettishness

Some Thoughts triggered off by the Kosovo Sighting

I don’t like evaluating tree breaks or twists. I don’t recognize them as being bigfoot related. There are just too many other things they could be attributed to: storms, winds, old age. I don’t say that Uncle Harry didn’t do it as some type of territorial marker, I am just saying it is “not my thing.”

On the 1st of July 2006 this twelve foot tall four inch diameter maple tree was snapped in two along the path in the pasture just up the hill feet from my feeding station. There had not been any other damage on my property or my neighbors property. There was a path of knocked down tall grass from the hay field to the east directly to the tree.